Book Blitz - I'll Be Watching You by Leslie A. Kelly

I'll Be Watching You

By Leslie A. Kelly

Genre: Romantic Suspense

About the Book

She can trust him with her heart, but can she trust him with her life?

Growing up as a foster kid, Jessica Jensen found her escape in movies-especially those starring teen heartthrob Reece Winchester. When she meets him as an adult, he's just as charming, fascinating, and devastatingly handsome as she'd imagined. Before she knows it, Jessica is falling hard. But her real-life Cinderella story is about to take a deadly turn...

Jessica has completely upended everything about Reece's carefully ordered life. There's a reason he's never allowed anyone to get so close to him before. But now that she has, there's a target on her back. Because someone knows that the Winchesters have been hiding some dark family secrets. Someone who is out there waiting to strike. Waiting...and always watching.

Review Quote:

"Throughout this charged, fast-paced love story, Kelly expertly balances sensuality and intrigue. This will be a hit with readers looking for a

spicy contemporary romance." - Publisher's Weekly

About the Author 

Leslie A. Kelly is a New York Times, USA Today Bestselling Author of dark romantic thrillers and sexy romance (as Leslie Kelly.)

Known for their dark, edgy plots, strong characters, intense action, and powerful worldbuilding, Leslie's romantic thrillers have won great acclaim, including the National Reader's Choice Award, the Aspen Gold Award, the Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence, and a Romantic Times Magazine Award nomination. 

Leslie lives in Colorado with her husband of 34 years and two spoiled dogs. 

Visit her "alter ego" site--www.lesliekelly.com--to learn more about her sexy contemporary romances. 

www.leslieAkelly.com

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Watching-previously-published-Hollywood-Heat/dp/1538735148/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=leslie+a.+kelly+I%27ll+be+watching+you&qid=1582831584&sr=8-1

Barnes & Noble:  https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/ill-be-watching-you-leslie-a-kelly/1132620043?ean=9781538735145#/  

On Social Media:

www.facebook.com/authorlesliekelly

www.twitter.com/lesliekelly

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/47355921-i-ll-be-watching-you  

Excerpt

As a film director, Reece Winchester was used to watching life through a camera lens, picturing angles, depth, color, and texture. He lived as a voyeur, removed from the action he oversaw, the unseen god of the worlds he created for moviegoers everywhere. Some people might see him as being aloof or uncaring. Hell, maybe he was. But he’d learned hard lessons throughout his life about trust, about grief, about tragedy and loss. Better to put a layer between yourself and the outside world, as far as he was concerned.

 Maybe that’s why he was able to remain calm during this latest catastrophe. He only sighed as he stared at the charred remnants of his house, eying the wisps of smoke still rising from the ruin in the early morning light, was number one on that list.

 “Damn, Reece, I’m so sorry,” said his brother Rowan, who’d been the one to call him at two a.m. to tell him about the fire. He’d repeated the phrase about a dozen times.

Reece had been shooting in the New Mexico desert, so his Beverly Hills home had been empty when it went up in flames last night. He’d spent most of the flight back being thankful he’d left his dog with his and had given the couple who looked after the place two weeks off. During other trips, he’d left Cecil B., his golden retriever, at home with the Scotts. He didn’t even want to think about what could have happened if they’d been there. Shit could be replaced. Lives could not. The loss of a couple of statues of a guy named Oscar was nothing compared to the singeing of one hair on the heads of his employees or his dog.

 “Any idea yet what started it?” he bit out.

“I talked to the fire investigator. He already found accelerant.”

Accelerant. Arson? Jesus.

“Somebody hates me enough to burn down my house?” Reece murmured, a little more stunned by that fact than by the fire itself.

“It could have been a frustrated stalker who expected to find you at home.”

“And when I wasn’t, they decided to make sure I didn’t have a home to come back to?”

 “You know it’s possible.”

Yes, it probably was. He’d had overzealous fans before, mostly during his acting days. They occasionally slipped from pushy into obsessive. He’d been dealing with a particularly bad one lately, who’d found out where he lived and had been leaving notes stuffed into the security gate. Perhaps that was who had gotten past the fence last night and decided to send his home up in a giant ball of flame that had, reportedly, been seen by people miles away.

“Do you ever wonder if we’re damned?” he asked.

He’d had this thought many times over the years but had never shared it with his twin.

“Don’t say that.”

 He didn’t push, knowing Rowan had done a better job moving beyond all the dark episodes of the past. Reece, though, had found letting that go extremely difficult to do.

“You know you can stay with me for a while. At least until you find another place,” Rowan offered.

Reece nodded. “Dad has a spare room, too.” 

Reece, his twin Rowan, and their baby brother, Raine, had bought their hardworking father, who’d supported them all his life, a big place on the beach a few months ago. His dad would hate to hear about the fire but would probably love some company.

Reece watched silently as firefighters walked the site. They carefully looked for any sputtering embers trying to reignite. With the drought, they also had to be sure no sparks landed on a nearby roof, spreading the conflagration to the entire neighborhood.

“Why don’t we get outta here?” Rowan asked. “You’ve given your statement. You don’t have to stay. Want some breakfast? We can pick up Cecil B. and take him out for pancakes.”

 Seeing his dog sounded like a great idea to Reece. “Sure.” He was hungry, as, he suspected, were the sweaty, exhausted firefighters. He’d already put in an order for cold drinks and food for the guys who’d tried so hard to rescue his six-thousand-square-foot house.

Just a house. Just a building. Right.

Frankly, the worst part wasn’t the fire, but the realization that someone had set it. He was in somebody’s crosshairs. The knowledge unsettled him.

“Surfing after?” They hadn’t surfed together in months, both of them having busy schedules, and Reece.

Book Blitz: A New Planet by Todd M. Thiede

A New Planet

By Todd M. Thiede

Genre: Science Fiction

As World Leaders Xiao, Rothchild, and Fisk work with and against one another, their government and way of life fall apart. One misstep creates a ripple effect that leads to the demise of the planet.

Tal Fisk and Jae Xiao, star-crossed lovers, meet as the stars have ordained. Fate and power work to keep them apart while they defy their parents. As the fragile ecosystem of Hongsu falls apart, the authority that comes as the children of World Leaders with very different views weighs heavily upon them.

Bastien works to end the unequal class system that keeps the poor down and helps the rich get richer. With the unwitting help of rich connections, Bastien’s part in an elaborate plan to scare the Council into action has disastrous consequences.

As they try to save their civilization they can’t help but wonder…Is it technology, greed, or human nature that causes the world to collapse?

About the Author

When you think of an Amazon bestselling author you probably won’t think of Todd M. Thiede. He’s been a finance manager at a car dealership in Illinois for over 15 years. He’s a father of 4 and now a grandfather of 3. When he’s not working or spending time with his family, he’s writing books. His Max Larkin Detective series has been on Amazon’s Bestsellers list for multiple books in the series. He’s also written Political Thrillers under the pseudonym T.T. Michael, and those books have won multiple awards from Readers’ Favorite and Book Excellence Awards. 

Todd M. Thiede is now diving into the Sci-Fi world with his new book “A New Planet”.

toddthiede.com

https://www.facebook.com/todd.thiede

https://twitter.com/TTMICHAEL9

On Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07Y5VQCJP

On B&N: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/a-new-planet-todd-m-thiede/1133740962?ean=2940161135693

 

Adventurous Ali Book Blitz

Adventurous Ali: Temple of the Monkey God
By Tyler H. Jolley

Genre: Middle Grade, Adventure, Friendship

After Alison Liv Isner is sucked into an old globe that sat on her father’s desk, she wakes beside a campfire in a lush jungle, surrounded by five talking animals. She quickly realizes these are the same friends her mom wrote about in her expedition journal. Now, at only eleven-years-old, she has the opportunity to complete her deceased mother’s unfinished expedition in the Temple of the Monkey God.  

With her new found friends, a monkey, a fat rat, a bat, a burro with a piranha in a mason jar tied around his neck, Ali decides to face the treacherous booby traps inside of the temple and save the monkey idol from an evil group called The Geese. 

As she learns more about her deceased mom through her adventure journal, Ali and her friends realize the book is the key to lead them through the tunnels of the dreaded Temple of the Monkey God. If not, their lives are at stake and Ali will be trapped in the expedition realm forever. 

About the Author

Tyler H. Jolley is five-foot sixteen inches. By day he is an orthodontist, and by night he is a sci-fi/fantasy author. He carries a curse with him each day, too many fun book ideas and too little time to write them. There isn't a place or time that ideas don't slam into the creative squishy part of his brain. Fun facts: he hasn't puked since 1996, he loves pencils and mountain biking. Writing and riding are a big part of his life.

His debut novel, EXTRACTED came out in 2013 with Spencer Hill Press, and has been a Spencer Hill Press Best Seller, as well as an Amazon Best Seller. PRODIGAL and RIVEN, the second and third books in The Lost Imperials series were released in May of 2015.

Social Media Links: 

https://www.facebook.com/tyler.jolley.319

https://twitter.com/DocJolley

https://www.instagram.com/tylerhjolley/

Amazon Buy Link:

https://amzn.to/2MsTjr9

Excerpt:

“Here we go.” Ali stepped into the dark opening. Cool, damp air tickled her nose. It reminded her of the inside of a trunk her dad had accidently left in the rain. The next week when they’d opened it, the moldy smell was pungent. 

Just a few feet in, light from the entrance cast itself at an angle on the opposite wall.

Everyone had sidled up next to Ali.

“What are you thinking, human?” Figgy asked.

Ali shrugged.

Chicaletta rummaged through the pack on Figgy’s rump and produced a metal-handled flashlight. Ali tripped just as Chicaletta flicked on the light.

Ali looked down at what she’d fallen over. A skeleton with rotted clothes. She screamed.

Suddenly, a huge, square stone as wide as her father was tall and at least two times her height crashed from the ceiling and blocked the entrance.

Trapped.

Glenda’s high-pitched scream nearly deafened Alison Liv Isner.

Chicaletta whipped around and pointed the flashlight at the stone blocking the door. Ali tried to speak but couldn’t find her voice. Adrenaline surged through her veins. The stone wasn’t just blocking the door, but it was also a weapon. Spikes of varying lengths jutted out at them from the rock.

Ali shook her hands, trying to calm her nerves. “What now?”

“We’re trapped,” Tristan said. “We’re going to die.”

“Never mind him,” Bait said.

“Ignore me all you want,” Tristan said. “But one day I’ll be right. Probably.”

“Chicaletta?” Ali walked toward Figgy’s pack. “Do you have another flashlight in there?”

“Yes,” Chicaletta said. “But we should save the batteries.”

“Just light one of those bones on fire,” Tristan yawned.

“What?” Ali nearly yelled.

“It’ll be fine, watch,” Tristan said. He scurried over to the bones. “Hey, skeleton, do you mind if we use your femur?” He held his pink hand up to his ear. “Skeleton, if you don’t want us to use your leg and clothes, speak now.” The skeleton didn’t move. Tristan turned back to the group. “See? He doesn’t care.”

Ali looked to the others for guidance.

“I’ll fish out the flint,” Tristan said. “No offense, Bait.”

Ali walked toward the skeleton with trepidation. But, Tristan was right, after all. Any adventurer would wish to be useful, even in death.

“I guess,” Glenda swallowed hard, “it should be okay.”

Chicaletta blinked and nodded at Ali. “Hurry.”

Ali knelt next to the skeleton and wrapped her hands around its leg; she closed her eyes and cringed. The femur was the largest bone and came free easily from the hip joint. She wrapped the tattered clothes around the end just as Tristan scurried back with a flint and steel. Ali struck the U-shaped steel against the flint, and sparks fell toward the old cloth. It smoldered, and she blew on the embers. Flames encompassed the cloth. It cackled to life, illuminating a modest space in front of her.

Between Ali’s torch and Chicaletta’s flashlight, the tunnel was still fairly dark. The temple felt more like a cave. Musty air permeated the ten foot high stone tunnel.

A hideous scraping sound of stone on stone grabbed their attention. The large block with spikes slid toward them. Slowly, at first. Then with momentum.

“Run!” Ali waved her torch toward a tunnel. “This way.”

The block slid forward with spikes inching closer to Ali and her friends. But then it momentarily stopped, caught on the dry skeleton. Bones crunched and twisted. The skull had become wedged. The spiked stone lurched, and the skull exploded, filling the room with white dust behind them.

Alison Liv Eisner ran down the tunnel, her friends in tow.

There was no stopping the boulder. Filled with terror, Ali pushed forward. The torch’s weak light made it difficult to see far in front of them. The barbed block was a bulldozer, pushing aside dirt and leaves, combined with the dead adventurer’s clothes and bones. A loud banging and clanking noise drew Ali’s attention to what was ahead of them.

“What on earth is that ruckus?” Bait asked.

“I don’t know,” Glenda said. “But it sounds dangerous.”

            “Glenda,” Ali said. “Fly ahead and use your echolocation to figure out what it is.”

            “Ali, that is a spectacular idea. I can totally do that.” Glenda fluttered away.

“Be careful,” Ali yelled after her.

            The group carefully trudged forward, but the spiked stone didn’t stop. Chicaletta’s flashlight cast a dull-yellow cone just a few feet ahead. The hallway narrowed the deeper they walked.

Victoria Book Blitz

Victoria

By John Molik

Genre: Technothriller, Science Fiction, Action and Adventure

It's the year AD 2430. Almost four hundred years earlier, humanity had barely survived a horrific near-extinction-level event: a solar micronova. Survivorship colonies set up by a cabal with advanced technologies eventually evolve into a global Perfect Society called the United Federation of Connectedness (UFC). 

Initially based on co-ops, barter and trade, and equal access for all, a model that rose out of the ashes of the authoritarian governments of the past, humanity, bored and striving for more, eventually steers the planet to a balanced authoritarian model run by Victoria, a genetically engineered Master Server, implanted with artificial intelligence.

When the Animal Rights Act is introduced, the backward-looking religionists and many others think that Victoria has finally gone too far. Artificial love is the glue that keeps the heavily networked society together, but a radicalized religious cult, the MHs, who yearn for a natural connection to their God, reject technology and the electronic beasts who govern. Protected by the blood of their human messiah, they launch a terrorist attack to take down the Perfect Society and replace it with their own.

A top scientist, Claressa, who is loyal to Victoria, and her boyfriend, Pierre Lewalski, are summoned to UFC Capital City to thwart the attack.

Will they be successful? Should they be?

About the Author

John grew up in Rancho Palos Verdes, California, graduated from UC Davis with a bachelor's degree in economics, and has worked in numerous corporate finance and project management positions in the consumer electronics and IT industries. In 1990, he took an extended backpacking trip of the South Pacific before attending graduate school. He met his future wife in New Zealand, and they were married in 1991. They settled in Laguna Niguel, California. In 2003, John and his family (now with two kids in tow) relocated to Christchurch, New Zealand.

John's passion for writing began when he was a student at UC Davis and worked as a feature writer for the California Aggie newspaper. Having been nominated for a Hearst Journalism Award (1986) for a feature on genetic engineering, John later found the inspiration to write again. In 2013, he began outlining his first thriller, The Fiduciary Delusion, which became the first novel in the Horsemen trilogy. John loves to read techno-thrillers, science fiction, murder mysteries and action and suspense novels. Some of his favorite authors include: Philip K. Dick, Kurt Vonnegut, Lawrence Sanders, Isaac Asimov, Michael Faber and Clive Cussler. 

John's interests also include science, existential philosophy, health, and both Western and Eastern holistic medicine. John also plays guitar, piano, sings, and writes music. In addition, a self-confessed “gym rat,” John can be regularly found lifting weights, trudging up hills, sea kayaking, and getting out and about enjoying the beautiful wild outdoors.

Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/WriterJOHN/

Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/Victoria-John-Molik-ebook/dp/B07WVRNMJB 

Goodreads:
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15168291.John_Molik

Readers' Favorite:
https://readersfavorite.com/book-review/the-three-poisons

askDavid:
https://askdavid.com/books/14988

Excerpt

“Careful! If you don’t get this part right, you will blow us all to hell!”

Boniface Rotner faltered, shook his head, and aggressively ran his hands through his shoulder-length black hair.

Cornell Elam, a bald 54-year-old technician from the sect, leaned against the stainless steel railing which encircled the metal alloy chamber. Peering down, he glimpsed the top of Boniface’s mat of black hair. Cornell wiped sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand. He pleaded. “Come on! You can do this!”

Boniface Rotner gazed up through the metal tunnel and bit his lip. “Of course I can, Mr. Elam.”

Boniface, at only 15 years old, was far ahead of anyone in their sect in intelligence, creativity, and focus. Earlier, it was decided by sect leaders that he was the only one that could accomplish this critical mission. Not only was Boniface the only one who understood the technical complexity of this 398-year-old technology, he also had very small hands due to his age, which was a crucial job requirement for this particular task.

Having recently resurrected the bank of Moray generators using his keen intellect, time was of the essence.

Boniface grasped the magneto coil wand and carefully inserted it into the capacitance resonator of the high-voltage transformer. Mr. Elam is right. This goes wrong and this entire community will be enveloped in a ball of super-heated plasma.

Cornell’s breathing quickened and his palms were clammy. Fidgeting, he mindlessly looked right then left, and replied, “Alright, then! But, you got to hurry, lad! You got to hurry!” Cornell nervously glanced over his shoulder as if the empty ten-by-ten-foot, fully contained and impenetrable control room was suddenly being breached by a pack of rabid wolverines.

Sweat was pouring down the nape of Boniface’s neck, but he paid little attention to it. Busy concentrating on the task at hand, he knew that the magneto wand must not touch the quantum harmonic oscillator. The Moray generators were at full bore, producing over 5,000 kilowatts of raw electrical power, and were just one step away from being connected to the Tesla scalar interferometer which, when ignited, would produce a thin, impenetrable shell of electromagnetic energy hovering over the sect’s temple and surrounding area. No weapon, or even gamma radiation from an electromagnetic pulse, would be able to touch those living under it. But, if Boniface screwed this up and touched the oscillator, it was lights out for every living thing in a ten-mile radius.

Suddenly, the dead quiet of the sealed control room was interrupted by a strange, distant whirring sound.

Like a cocker spaniel sensing the scampering of a squirrel, Cornell jerked his head in the direction of the sound. “Shit! Those are fucking incomings!” He pounded the steel railing with both fists. “Hurry!”

Boniface squeezed his eyes tightly to assuage the anxiety and regain focus. Opening them slowly, he made sure his steady hand did not waver. The magneto wand just had to pass by the hidden oscillator and make contact with the bridging terminal.

The sound of the incoming missiles, likely all nuclear-tipped, grew louder and louder as their perilous cargos came closer to their target.

“For fuck’s sake, Rotner! It’s now or never!”

Boniface didn’t like swearing, as it was against their religion. Besides, it was Mr. Elam who had taught him acceptable words from the past to use as substitutes. Yet, he also realized that when your life and the lives of all your community looked like it was nearing their end, man’s evil tongue could sometimes release vulgarities, so he forgave Mr. Elam.

Figuring he had about five seconds, he quickened his pace. Biting his lip, he edged his hand forward through the small gap toward the contact plate.

A thin, shrill voice, like the cry of a dying mouse, emanated from Cornell Elam. He held his head in his hands.

Four inches to go. Boniface precisely guided the wand upward. The sonic roar of the incoming missiles was now vibrating the entire control room. It was now or never.

As soon as Boniface touched the plate, an ear-shattering electronic clang and hum assaulted their ears. The hair on his head stood on end as if he was grabbing the top of a Van de Graaff generator. The banks of LED lights on the control panels illuminated just before the entire room shook violently.

Cornell Elam was thrown from his perch into the steel chamber, landing on top of the 15-year-old.

Boniface’s face was red hot. This was the last thing he felt before his rapid descent into total darkness.

Becoming Grim Book Blitz!

Becoming Grim

By Ashley Tomlinson

Genre: NA Urban Fantasy

Piper is running away from a cheating boyfriend and New York City when something terrible happens, her plane crashes. Instead of going to Heaven or even to Hell she goes to a whole other plane of existence. Now not only is she dead but she is a reaper learning the ropes to collecting souls from the handsome, Zeke. 

Everything is going great until Piper sees something that she's not supposed to see. Now she is torn between keeping it to herself or putting her and everyone she's come to care for in danger. 

About the Author

Ashley Tomlinson was born in a very small town in South Carolina and now she lives in a slightly larger city in South Carolina with her husband. Most days you can find her writing in her home office that is filled to the brim with books and candles. When she isn’t writing she’s spending time with her plethora of animals, curled up reading on her couch, painting, or crocheting a blanket that she will probably never finish. She also loves being apart of the bookstagram world, especially taking photos of books. 

She knew she wanted to be a writer in high school but didn’t pursue it fully until she was in her twenties. Now not a day goes by when she isn’t in front of her laptop typing away. Her head is always in the clouds thinking up new scenes or coming up with a new book idea.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Hyper_Ashley

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/11855080-ashley-tomlinson

Website: http://www.hyperashley.com/

Book Blitz: Justice Gone by N. Lombardi Jr {GIVEAWAY}

Justice Gone

By N. Lombardi Jr

Genre: Legal Thriller

Justice Gone, a mystery/legal thriller which publishes February 22, 2019, touches upon many topical, controversial issues in today's society as well as being a thrilling and engaging read. The story encapsulates current social issues: police brutality, homelessness, the plight of returning war veterans, the frenzy of the press, and the mechanics of the US judicial system.

"When a homeless war veteran is beaten to death by the police, stormy protests ensue, engulfing a small New Jersey town. Soon after, three cops are gunned down.

 A multi-state manhunt is underway for a cop killer on the loose. And Dr. Tessa Thorpe, a veteran's counselor, is caught up in the chase.

Donald Darfield, an African-American Iraqi war vet, war-time buddy of the beaten man, and one of Tessa's patients, is holed up in a mountain cabin. Tessa, acting on instinct, sets off to find him, but the swarm of law enforcement officers gets there first, leading to Darfield's dramatic capture.

Now, the only people separating him from the lethal needle of state justice are Tessa and ageing blind lawyer, Nathaniel Bodine. Can they untangle the web tightening around Darfield in time, when the press and the justice system are baying for revenge?”

Justice Gone is the first in a series of psychological thrillers involving Dr. Tessa Thorpe.

GIVEAWAY:

Author N. Lombardi Jr is giving away 20 signed copies of Justice Gone. Enter below!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

About the Author 

Lombardi Jr, the N for Nicholas, has spent over half his life in Africa, Asia, and the Middle East, working as a groundwater geologist. Nick can speak five languages: Swahili, Thai, Lao, Chinese, and Khmer (Cambodian).

In 1997, while visiting Lao People's Democratic Republic, he witnessed the remnants of a secret war that had been waged for nine years, among which were children wounded from leftover cluster bombs. Driven by what he saw, he worked on The Plain of Jars for the next eight years.

Nick maintains a website with content that spans most aspects of the novel: The Secret War, Laotian culture, Buddhism etc. http://plainofjars.net

His second novel, Journey Towards a Falling Sun, is set in the wild frontier of northern Kenya.

His latest novel, Justice Gone was inspired by the fatal beating of a homeless man by police.

Nick now lives in Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Visit his Goodreads page: https://bit.ly/2D1Ktt5 

Amazon

https://amzn.to/2WCTodE

Barnes & Noble

https://bit.ly/2SoiKwc

Facebook

https://bit.ly/2sY7LeN

Excerpt

 

Chapter 1

Bruntfield, New Jersey, just another banal town in a part of the country that nobody thinks about, was about to become famous; or rather, more aptly put, infamous. People sauntered past lackluster shops unaware that in a few days, the lackadaisical streets would bear the rabid frustrations that divided the nation; a pus-like bitterness that was held in check by the demands of everyday survival and the distractions offered by obsessive consumerism and brazen media.

Some would inevitably blame the cascade of events on the weather, since the origins could be found on a hot summer day in 2006. Sure, just about all summer days are hot, but this one was close to the record, and humid to boot. By the end of July, the Northeast coast was suffering under a sweltering heat wave. Despite the humidity, no one could remember the last time it had rained. A hundred-year drought was predicted, they’d said.

Bruntfield, among the many places under this curse, had its water supply so severely depressed that the city authorities were forced to impose water rationing. As if that wasn’t enough, the excessive load on air conditioners led to incessant brownouts. With the weather nothing less than insufferable, suffocating, oppressive, even provoking, tempers flared along with the temperature. But the local situation, as bad as it was, was about to get worse.

In the heart of this small town, just a block up from the bus depot, sat Sliders, a rather successful drinking establishment catering to young adults, and noted for its ecstasy-fueled rave parties. At four in the afternoon, the owner, Joe Poppet, a burly man with a thick red beard and a well-developed beer belly, was staring out the large glass facade of his bar.

“Screw this heat, man.”

Joe was sweating because he didn’t want to turn on the air-conditioning; as a rule, he didn’t put it on until a half hour before opening. He possessed a rather cynical personality, considering himself continually persecuted by life’s little aggravations. Now it was the heat ramping up his electricity bill; soon it would be the freezing temperatures inflating his heating bill…always something. His worries constantly exceeded his hopes. He was sort of a “glass-half-empty” man.

Rudy Glum, the shaven-headed bartender, was an easygoing optimist, a “glass-half-full” kind of guy. He was whistling as he washed the glasses in the sink behind the bar. “Tell me about it,” he chuckled. “I hear ya, buddy.”

But Rudy’s sanguinity did not rub off on Joe. “There’s that guy again.”

“What guy?”

“That fucking guy we saw yesterday.”

“Oh, yeah, he’s probably from the bus depot. Lotta homeless hang out there.”

Joe continued to stare out the glass facade, feeling helpless. “For Chrissakes, why can’t the city do something and get rid of those bastards. They’re a fucking eyesore…it’s bad for business. Probably got diseases too.”

Rudy finished drying the glass in his hand and hung it up on the beer mug rack. “Yeah, it’s a goddamn shame,” he said noncommittally, trying to get these glasses done before the evening crowd surged in.

“He doesn’t have a shirt on.”

“Yeah, well it’s hot, ain’t it? Wish I could take mine off."

"And we’re opening in an hour. Ladies Night tonight.”

Rudy said nothing while reaching for another glass from the sink behind the bar.

“Call the cops.”

The bartender froze with the glass still in his hand. “And tell them what?”

“I don’t know, tell ‘em there’s someone suspicious hangin out on the corner…trying to break into cars or something. That way they’ll come fast.”

Reluctantly, Rudy put down his dishrag, picked up the phone, and dialed 911, not feeling good about it at all.